Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies Major

Peace isn’t a niche interest at Goshen College—it’s a shared passion. Peace is central to our identity, which is apparent in our curriculum, our history and our core values. The peace, justice and conflict studies (PJCS) program pulls together and gives full expression to the many strands of peace that permeate campus culture.

As a PJCS student, you’ll study subjects like restorative justice, social change and war and peace in the modern world. And you’ll have plenty of opportunities to put your beliefs into action through a range of internship options. Some are local, with organizations like La Casa (working with low income families) in Goshen and the Center for Community Justice in Elkhart, and some are across North America, with agencies like Mennonite Central Committee or a summer internship with the Service Inquiry Program. Some students find a way to do international internships as well.

What can you do after college with a PJCS major? Anything that requires the ability to analyze complex problems, come up with creative solutions, be an effective organizer and transform destructive conflict in positive directions. As a graduate of the PJCS program, you’ll have top-notch preparation for your future career as a social worker, teacher, lawyer, mediator or peace worker for a service or mission organization.

News & Events

C. Henry Smith the topic of namesake peace lecture

March 6, 2015

Perry Bush, professor of history at Bluffton (Ohio) University, will present the 2015 C. Henry Smith Peace Lecture on Tuesday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Goshen College Administration Building Room 28. Bechtel will speak on “The Professor as Peacemaker: C. Henry Smith and the Mennonite Intellectual Tradition, 1920-1948.”

Five Goshen College students will present speeches during the 2015 C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest on Tuesday, Feb. 17. The annual event will take place at 7 p.m. in the Umble Center and is free and open to the public.

Goshen College graduate Karen Zorn visited her alma mater Monday, Jan. 12, to deliver a keynote speech discussing the merits of a new music program called El Sistema. The program is spreading into Elkhart classrooms and across the U.S.